champion godfather

Chapter 970: Volume Seven, Heart of the Lion King, Top Eight Opponents
Lagerbeck thought that Tang En replaced George Wood for defense, but it didn't take long for him to realize that he was wrong.

After breaking Ibrahimovic's ball, George Wood did not simply pass the football, but rushed forward with the ball himself.Ibrahimovic grabbed the ball from behind and pushed Wood, but instead of pushing Wood down, he helped Wood get rid of his entanglement.

Wood suddenly dribbled forward and disrupted the Swedish team's defensive plan. They did not expect that Wood was not defensive, but offensive.

Wood eventually passed the ball to Chris Cohen for a shot against two Swedish players.

In the next game, the Swedish team found that they could not attack with all their strength to score goals, because after George Wood came on, England's midfield was more aggressive, which disturbed the Swedes.

Just like the game against the German team, it is not clear from Wood's performance that he is a "wounded soldier" who has not recovered from his foot injury.

Running without hesitation, tough defense, and a stable mental state.The orderly arrangement of the midfield made England fans feel at ease.This is the change that George Wood brought to people after he played.

At this time, no one thinks about the nonsense of "we haven't won against Sweden in 48 years".

The England team told them with actual performance that such worries are unnecessary.

England has an overall advantage on the scene. Even if the Swedish team changed to frequent high balls and used long passes to attack England's defense, the central defender composed of John Terry and Stephen Taylor seemed very calm. The 1.9-meter-six Joe Hart expanded his control range, and many crosses allowed him to win ahead of time.The Swedish forward Goytan, who is also 1.9 meters [-] in height, did not get any good opportunities in front of the goal.

Time passed quickly, no matter how Lagerbeck adjusted, the Swedish team could not do anything about England's dense defense.As the game progressed, it was not the English players who became more and more impatient, but the Swedish players. After all, they are now two goals behind.

Something like "We haven't lost to England in 48 years!" can't comfort their restless hearts. Seeing that there is not much time left in the game, they are still two goals behind.Look at the solid defense of the England team. At this time, I am afraid that even if God himself came to make the No. 12 player for the Swedish team, it would not work.

The Swedish team became more and more impatient, and the quality of offense became lower and lower.Lagerback couldn't sit still, and roared desperately on the sidelines to keep the players calm.But the more he yelled, the more panicked the players became, which became a vicious circle.

This England team was completely unaffected by fate, which surprised Lagerbeck.Their excellent psychological qualities have greatly exceeded Lagerbeck's expectations.You must know that the psychological quality of the previous England team can be ranked last in the whole of Europe...

It was that annoying man who changed everything.

Lagerbeck looked next door.England's head coach is sitting on the coach's bench at this moment, crossing his legs.

Seeing him looking so well-groomed, it really makes people gnash their teeth.

"The game entered injury time. The injury time is 3 minutes! It seems that the Swedish team is hopeless!" John Mortensen said excitedly, "We are only 3 minutes away from breaking this damn fate!"

Facing the final madness of the Swedish team, the England team shrank in the penalty area and defended the 3 minutes.When Sweden won a corner in the second minute of stoppage time, their goalkeeper Isaacsson rushed forward.But what's the use?Even if they score a goal, they are still one goal behind, which cannot change the result at all.

England fans are already singing and cheering in the stands, they can finally shake off the nightmare that has weighed on their hearts for 48 years.

Sweden's corner kick did not pose any threat to England's goal. The unbalanced Swede directly kicked the corner kick out of the bottom line.Joe Hart dawdled with the football, and just as he kicked the goal kick with his big foot, he heard the final whistle!

"The game is over! The game is over! We have defeated Sweden! For the first time in 48 years, we have defeated Sweden!" Mortensen roared excitedly. In his opinion, even reaching the quarterfinals did not end his destiny, which made him even more excited. "Tony Twain's team defeated fate! This damn fate is finally over!"

The Swedish commentator seemed a little frustrated: "The 48-year psychological advantage of our team in England just disappeared..."

As soon as the three-win whistle was over, England's substitute players rushed onto the pitch to celebrate their victory.

Tony Twain didn't do that, this time he didn't forget to shake hands with the opponent's head coach.

Lagerbeck looked a little frustrated. He shook his head slightly and completed the handshake procedure. He didn't stop long and walked straight to the entrance of the corridor.Tang En was surrounded by reporters. As the winner, he deserved more attention.

"I have nothing to say. I am very happy to be able to advance to the quarter-finals. I said that our goal is the championship, and now we are going further and further on the right path. Haven't won against Sweden in 48 years?" Tang En laughed, "That's because For the first 48 years, I didn't manage England."

※ ※ ※

While Twain was still being interviewed by the media, the team doctor, Mr. Derek White, rushed onto the court and found George Wood. He asked with concern, "How does your right big toe feel?"

Wood tiptoed, then said to White, "No problem."

Mr. White heaved a sigh of relief: "That's good." According to his observation off the court, it was much easier for Wood to cope with the three 10 minutes than the 15 minutes of the German team. It seems that his foot injury has almost recovered.

In this way, he should be able to meet Twain's requirements in the next game and start the game.

Thinking of this, White only felt that he was finally going to be freed...

※ ※ ※

England defeated Sweden, ended its 48-year invincible fate, and advanced to the quarter-finals. This made the England fans extremely excited. After the game, the England fans partyed all night and drank all night.The beer in the entire Seville bar was "looted". Of course, someone was drunk, and naturally there was a conflict.This night, the police in Seville had a headache.

None of these matters had anything to do with Twain. He met with White in the hotel at night and confirmed that Wood's injury was recovering well, and it shouldn't be a problem to start the next game.This made him very happy.

Even without George Wood, Twain also led the team to lead Germany and Sweden.But if you need to win the championship, then George Wood is essential.Paying attention to Wood does not mean that Dunn is incapable. Any coach will definitely have a player he prefers. The head coach alone cannot lead the team to victory. He also needs someone who can support him on the court. players.Jacquet, who led the French team to the first world championship, has Zidane. Look at the two games where Zidane was suspended, how painful the French team won, and look at the team that suppressed the Brazilian team in the final There is no chance of France, this is the difference between Zidane without Zidane and Zidane.Zidane became a French hero, but no one said Jacquet was incapable.

A meritorious coach and a meritorious player are always a natural pair, and they become legends together.If Twain wanted to write his own legend in this European Cup, he would not be able to do without the help of George Wood.

The next night England's quarter-final opponents were revealed - France.They eliminated the Dutch team 2-0 in the quarter-finals.

Starting from the "group of death", the opponents England encountered were always strong teams. The only weakest team was Wales. As a result, England lost the game.It's really strange to say, the results against the strong team England are very good, and now even against France, Twain doesn't have too much worry.

But the English media are a little worried.Twain has said in public more than once that his goal is to win the championship, which is a good thing, but look at England's opponents along the way: "Europe's Brazilian team" Portugal, England suffered the only defeat Wales, the feud against Germany, Sweden, which has not won in 48 years, and now the French team representing the European Latin faction... What other strong teams are waiting for them in the future?
If England can beat France to reach the semi-finals, they will likely face hosts Spain.And what about England's opponents?The most comfortable team in the lower half is Italy. They have hardly encountered any strong opponents. Wales, which broke into the top [-], has a high morale, but finally falls at the feet of Italy.Teams like Greece and Croatia basically cannot pose any threat to Italy. As long as the Italians deal with it carefully, it should not be a big problem to reach the final.

Of course, the English now hope that Greece and Croatia will have an upset and knock out Italy, so that the biggest threat to England's championship will no longer exist.It's a pity that this possibility is too low.Italy has always been prudent. It belongs to the kind of team that cannot lose against a weak team, but will stumble against a strong team...

※ ※ ※

There is a five-day break between the quarter-finals and the quarter-finals.Twain gave the team a day off on the second day of the match against the Swedish team.It seems that he doesn't seem to be worried about the French team, and he still has the leisure to let the players go shopping.

In fact, he had already flown to Barcelona with his assistant Des Walker, and watched the match between the French team and the Dutch team live in the stands of the Nou Camp.

The top scorer of the French team, Benzema, was the best player of the game. He scored all the goals of the French team in the game, scored twice, and made the Dutch team lose their temper.

Gourcuff, the core midfielder of the French team, also performed well in this game. He directly assisted Benzema to score a goal and also instigated the second goal.

There is also the new generation of French goalkeeper Lloris. The Dutch team did not have a chance in this game, but in the end they were resolved by Lloris' wonderful saves.

Today's French team is full of talents and powerful, which should not be underestimated.The players of this group of French teams are basically the best of all age groups in Europe in previous years: Benzema, Ngego, Nasri, Gourcuff, Ben Arfa, Chrissy, Lars Di Asia LS Nia...

Seeing their wonderful performance in the match against the Netherlands, Dunn frowned.

"This French team is very strong. No wonder they were considered the favorites to win the championship before the start of the game." Walker expressed his views on the game while sorting out the camera equipment in his hand.

"We are also the favorites to win the championship." Dunn said calmly.

Walker looked at him amused.

"Let's go, Des." Dunn ignored him, stood up, and walked down with his hands in his pockets.The two mixed in the crowd, left the stadium, and returned to Seville overnight.

※ ※ ※

When Walker knocked on Tang En's door after getting up in the morning and told him to go down for breakfast, he found that Tang En was sitting in front of the TV, staring at the screen without blinking.He leaned over and found that it was the game video he recorded yesterday.

"You've been watching this all night?" He was taken aback.

"How is it possible?" Tang En turned his head and glanced at him. "I just woke up not long ago." After speaking, he turned his head back and watched the game on the TV screen.

"The French team played really well..." Des Walker, who was also watching from the side, murmured. "The offensive routine is very rich, the means are also very diverse, and there are players with excellent personal skills. In terms of talents, there are far more than us... Such a team is not easy to deal with."

Tang En shrugged: "It's just a group of flowers in the greenhouse."

Hearing what he said, Walker suddenly smiled: "Have you found a way to deal with them?"

Tang En shook his head: "Not yet."

He stood up. "Come on, let's go to breakfast. I'm hungry."

Walker made a face at him behind his back, and followed him out.

※ ※ ※

"Our team is full of talent! Winning England is no problem!"

The French media generally share this view.Having just defeated the strong team Netherlands, the French are full of confidence.

Even Benzema said in an interview that he thinks the French team will beat England, which is not a problem.

As the top scorer in this competition so far, his words have been recognized by many people.

For a time, domestic optimism prevailed in France.Everyone felt that the French team had entered the final ahead of schedule, and then continued their "resentment" with Italy to avenge the 2006 World Cup final.As for England and the opponents in the semi-finals, they are all ignored.

But at this time, someone still came out to pour cold water on them.

Benzema's former Real Madrid team-mate, retired ex-Nottingham Forest star Franck Ribery, appeared in the media worried by the optimism in France.

"...I don't think it's wise to think about the finals now. If the French team underestimates the England team, it will definitely suffer. I don't doubt it at all. The reason is very simple. Their head coach is Tony Twain. He just led the team to defeat the feud Germany, ending the 48-year record of winning against Sweden. This shows that the current England team has always been a terrible team... I have played for Nottingham Forest for many years, and I know how Tony Twain is. Such a head coach. Anyone who underestimates him or despises him will be very unlucky in the end..."

It's a pity that his voice was quickly drowned in the optimistic remarks of the people. For a retired balloon star, who cares what he said?

(End of this chapter)